Damian lay on his back in bed, lost in thoughts of his childhood home. The palace had been situated perfectly in the mountains; at the end of paths that were difficult to navigate, low enough to allow food to grow (and for helicopters to fly up, unfortunately), and cold. Very cold. It was common for snow to cover the training grounds and build up during winter. Which was more than he could say for Titans Tower.
Granted, it was summer not winter, so snow was not to be expected. The heat was expected, however, and properly handled. Air conditioning was a marvel Damian hadn't experienced during his time growing up with the League of Shadows. And it was something that had unfortunately been taken away from him.
Jaime's scarab had gone wild (again) during training, this time knocking out the power to the Tower. The backup generator should've kicked on after just a few minutes, but it hadn't. After the team bumbled their way through the darkness to the basement, Kori tried working on the generators to get them to work, but ultimately wound up calling Cyborg, who had helped build the generators and most of Titans Tower alongside STAR Labs.
Then, the team was dismissed for the day, free to do what they wanted until the Tower came back online.
Free to do whatever they wanted in the most oppressive heat wave to hit Jump City in 20 years. While Kori and Cyborg worked, Garfield and Jaime went into town to have fun. "Fun" was not a word in Damian's vocabulary, so he had abstained from going, but going on patrol was out of the question, too. It had been 111 degrees for the past five days, and though the heat might've driven most regular criminals to act, even they had limits and would rather wait for it to cool down before going out. And those that did act would be apprehended by the police before Damian had a chance to get there.
"Damian? You in there?" Raven's voice came from his doorway, where he'd pushed it into it's frame. He stood and walked over, and Raven asked, "How come you aren't wearing a shirt?"
"It's hot." He responded, as though it should've been obvious. All he had on was a pair of shorts.
"I noticed." She said. Damian took in her appearance; she was wearing a simple short sleeve button up blouse and modest skirt. Despite the change to more comfortable, casual clothes, her face was still a little red and their was a few beads of rolling down from her head. "Get dressed, in regular clothes. I have an idea."
After taking a moment to consider it, Damian decided that whatever Raven had in mind would be better than melting in his room until the AC could come back on. After throwing on a loose shirt and putting his boots on, Damian grabbed his utility belt and clipped it on, pulling his shirt over it. Raven rolled her eyes, and Damian asked, "What? Prepa-"
"Preparedness is a prerequisite for victory, I know." Raven said. "C'mon." She and Damian took the stairs down to the first floor, and headed outside. Raven lead the way to the garage, and started to punch in the security code before she remembered that the power was out. With an "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos", the car was pulled gently through a portal outside.
"I'll drive."
"No."
"I can-"
"I know you can, but Kori gave me permission to drive." Raven said, opening the driver's door and getting in. When Damian got into the passenger seat beside her, Raven smirked and said, "Besides, I'm the one with the learners permit."
Damian scoffed. When Raven started the car, he turned the AC up to full blast, and both exhaled happily as the cold air washed over them. As they drove into the city, Damian said, "Why do you have a license? You can fly. And so can Kori. Travelling by vehicle seems a little redundant."
"Because it helps us blend in, for one thing. It would cause a scene if Kori and I just descended from the sky everytime we wanted to go out in public. Most people don't look twice if we travel by car. And we can't fly if our powers are drained. Kori's powers aren't easily diminished, so she can fly longer than I can, but she can still run out of juice if she fights long enough." Raven told him, flipping the blinker and looking over her shoulder to make sure she was clear to switch lanes.
"So where are we headed?" Damian asked, resting his head on his hand.
"We're almost there." Raven said. Though it wasn't as satisfactory an answer as Damian would've liked, it was the truth. They were only a few minutes from the destination Raven was taking them to.
Once Raven had found a parking spot, she and Damian got of the car and started walking. The heat made itself present immediately, and Damian could feel the sweat forming on his brow not long after they got out of the car.
"An ice cream parlor?" Damian asked as they stopped in front of the small, nondescript two story building.
"It beats the public swimming pool." Raven said. She opened the door and a bell rang, and the first thing both she and Damian noticed was the cool air coming from inside.
Looking around the interior, he saw that the floor was mostly white, with black diamonds placed evenly throughout. There were three ceiling fans placed equal spaces apart, and all were turning at the same speed. There were several booths along the window, allowing view out to the street, with maroon cushioning complementing the dark wood it was built into. In the far back corner, there was a booth that was designed for larger families. Between the booths and the counter, tables for up to four people were waiting to be used.
Considering the heat, Damian expected it to be filled with more people, but the building was small, and it was in the center of the block. It wasn't exactly advertising its product, either. The only thing that gave away this building was an ice cream store was the artwork on the window, which wasn't easy to see with the glare coming from the sun.
"Welcome! What can I get you two?" An older gentleman had appeared behind the counter when the bell rang.
Raven nudged Damian's arm, indicated she wanted him to go first. He approached the counter, looking through the guard glass at the various dessert items on display. Multiple types of frozen dairy and topping products stood before him, and Damian let out an intelligent, "Uh…"
The man chuckled at his indecision, and Damian frowned at him. Damian had never been a big fan of sweets, due in no small part to being deprived of them for his childhood before the fall of the League, and because the last time Grayson had given him a bunch of candy he'd gotten a headache and nearly threw it all back up.
"One scoop of vanilla." Damian said.
"What else?" The man asked.
"That's it."
"Any toppings?"
"No."
"Hee-hee-hee!" The man sounded absolutely tickled at Damian's choice, but Damian wasn't sure why it was funny. "Alright, one scoop of vanilla is going to be two fifty-seven."
Damian reached into his back pocket, but realized he left his wallet back on the nightstand in his room. "Crap." He mumbled. Turning to Raven, he asked, "Can you spot me? I'll repay you when we get back home."
"Don't worry about it." Raven said. "He brings his utility belt, but not his wallet."
Damian nodded and took his dessert bowl when the man handed it to him, then walked over to a booth and sat down. He picked up the spoon and took a small bite of his ice cream. "Credit where credit is due: She did have a good idea." He thought as the cold treat and air conditioning helped cool him off. Raven sat down in front of him, placing her bowl on the table, and Damian's hand stopped halfway to his mouth. "You know, with the cotton candy, cake, and… whatever that is, you'll get diabetes." He said, raising an eyebrow in concern.
Raven had gotten a scoop of chocolate, a scoop of strawberry, a half scoop of both, as well as sprinkles, nuts and crushed M&M's on top of it all.
"Are you going to have enough room for dinner?" Damian asked as she took a bite.
"Of course I will." Raven said. "It's just sugar; it'll be gone in a few hours." She took another bite, smiling slightly at the pleasant taste.
Damian shrugged, looking down at his dessert and picking up another spoonful.
Raven paused when she heard the steady clinking across from her. "You should pace yourself, or else you'll get-"
"Ah!"
"A brainfreeze." She finished, then laughed as Damian clutched his head. "Hey, press your tongue to the roof of your mouth!" She instructed. He must've done what she said, because a few moments later he let go of his head and glared at the bowl in front of him.
He pushed it towards her and said, "You can have the rest."
His pocket buzzed, and he and Raven pulled out their phones. There was a message from Kori which read, "Good news, the power's back on!" Damian didn't respond, but messages from Jaime, Garfield, and Raven appeared in the group chat as well, all praising her.
"Finally, they've been at it since this morning." Damian muttered.
Raven still heard him and said, "I didn't see you helping."
"I offered, remember?" Damian told her. "But Kori said, "Cyborg's hardware is too complicated and delicate." I'm sure."
Raven sighed, shaking her head and going back to eating her ice cream.
Damian frowned and leaned back, looking at the counter. He felt regretful; he should've been more amicable after Raven had brought him here and paid for his food. "She was probably right. Father tells me that he requires Cyborg's assistance often when they're on missions together."
Raven didn't look up, but she did smile, which made Damian feel a little bit better.
Once Raven had finished eating, they got in the car and headed back to the Tower. After they parked the car and walked inside and got in the elevator, Raven said, "Well, today was pleasant."
Damian turned to her, but she was looking straight ahead with a small smile on her face. "I suppose it was nice to do something different." He agreed. Raven turned and nodded, and the doors opened and he stepped out. "I'm going to the training room." He said when Raven gave him a quizzical look. "Ice cream is fattening."
Raven shook her head, and it looked like she was trying not to smile. "Right. See you at dinner." She said, pressing the button for the 17th floor so she could head to her room.
Before the doors closed, Damian said, "See you later."